Lucia Simon fled from Sudan when the war erupted and returned to South Sudan with her nine children and elderly mother. She arrived in Wunthuo Boma, near the Sudan border, with almost nothing – no shelter, no income and a sick mother who depended on her for care.
Rebuilding after displacement in South Sudan
Her husband died in Sudan during the conflict. For some time, she found temporary refuge in another family's shelter. Although grateful for the generosity of the host family, the arrangement was never permanent. Knowing they could be asked to leave at any time left Lucia constantly worried about her children's safety and where they would sleep next.
“When we arrived from Sudan, [the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)] found me staying in someone else’s house at the temporary site. They were identifying people who had returned from Sudan, and I explained my situation to them,” Lucia says.
A protection assessment by NRC identified Lucia's family as among the area's most vulnerable, in need of shelter support. Within three months, she received cash assistance funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), enabling her to make decisions about rebuilding her family's home.
“The cash assistance gave me the opportunity to build these houses,” Lucia says. “Now my children and I have a place we can truly call home. I no longer worry about where we will sleep each night.”
A member of the host community gave Lucia the land to build on. With secure access to land and NRC's cash assistance, the family was able to build two tukuls (huts) within the community, strengthening peaceful coexistence between returnees and host residents.
“This support has changed our lives. Before, I worried every day about keeping my children safe. Now we have stability, and I can begin thinking about how to provide for them,” Lucia says.
Lucia is already thinking about what comes next: building a self-reliant future for her family.
“I want to start a small tea business,” she says. “If I can get basic equipment and supplies, I will earn an income to feed my children and reduce our dependence on assistance.”
Through funding from SDC, NRC is supporting returnees in Upper Nile with cash assistance for shelter. This helps families to make their own decisions and start rebuilding on their own terms.
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